Thursday, January 8, 2009

Triond January Newsletter

This is the latest newsletter from Triond, a site where you can submit articles that you have written or have acquired the rights to and earn revenue from them after they are published. Another site in this category that can earn you some money is Bukisa.

Happy New Year from everyone at Triond! Some might say that making resolutions for the New Year is passé, but we think it’s an excellent way to set up personal and professional goals. So what are Triond’s resolutions for 2009? We’ve resolved to keep listening closely to your suggestions, and also to be extra innovative when creating and releasing new features. Of course, we have plenty of other great things in store for 2009, so keep track of everything we’re doing by reading our blog and by following us on Twitter.

What's New at Triond?

In addition to a great deal of anticipation and planning for 2009, December saw the release of two new features within our submissions and editorial process.

Spell Checking

This feature was a suggestion that came directly from you – spell checking! Now it’s possible to check the spelling in your article easily before you submit it to our Editorial Team. Click on the ABC button in the Online Editor and any misspellings are underlined. When you click on an incorrect word, a list of corrections will drop down to the right. It was a great suggestion, and it was our pleasure to add it to Triond.

Revisions

Another feature we released allows you to revise your articles after you have submitted them to the Editorial Team. If our Editors feel that an article isn’t quite ready to be published, it will be returned to you as a Revision with notes from our Editorial Team. Our Editors’ suggestions for revision help to make your article ready for its big debut, so heed our advice carefully before submitting your revision.

It’s important to know that if you have an article to revise, make sure to open and resubmit it from the revisions tab. This is the only way to ensure that your article will be fixed and processed properly. If you copy and paste your article to a new submission, your work could be declined for having been submitted previously.

Dear Triond…

As the year ends, we’d like to answer some “back to basics” questions that both new and veteran users ask.

Dear Triond, How can I change the spacing between lines? My article doesn’t look right when it’s double spaced.

Here’s a great trick that works not only on Triond, but also in many other places where you need to enter text and want to control the spacing. To make lines appear single-spaced, just hit the Shift key at the same time as the Enter/Return key. Instead of your text looking like this:

Yes, yes and yes. You can also update your mailing address and other contact information, as well as your email preferences. Just click on the Account tab once you’ve signed in to Triond and change your information under Required Details and Additional Details. Please note, you cannot change your username. When you’re done, make sure to save your changes by clicking Update Account at the bottom of the page.

It’s important to update your account information whenever there is a change. If the email address listed under your account is incorrect, we can’t send you important information like monthly statements or payment details! Just like you’d update your mailing address with the Post Office, please update Triond so we can send you what you need to keep publishing.

Dear Triond, I wrote a poem/short story, but it’s being sent to my Revisions for being “Too Short.” Why is this happening? It’s supposed to be just a few lines!

We know that creative writing can be shorter than the average article, but we can’t be certain that you are submitting creative writing unless you tell us! If you submit creative writing such as short stories, poetry, or haiku, you must select the category “Creative Writing” before sending your submission. As long as you’ve selected “Creative Writing”, our Editorial Team will know not to send your work back for revision on account of it being too short.

Please note, there is another category called “About Writing.” Any articles related to writing techniques, skill development, literature or online writing information should be categorized under “About Writing” to ensure they are published in the best possible location.

What's Hot?

Yes, winter may be the coldest time of year, but there are plenty of hot topics to include in your Triond publications. We’ve already mentioned our New Year’s resolutions, so why not write about yours? You could compile tips for sticking to your resolutions, motivational short stories or poetry, or even analyze the psychology behind breaking a personal resolution.

Another “resolution” of sorts will happen this January 20th, as President-elect Barack Obama is officially inaugurated to the top governmental position in the United States. Why not compile a personal list of your favorite inauguration speeches of the past or create a new version of “Hail to the Chief?”

For other hot topics, check out Google Trends. You can see the hottest search topics according to a specific date. Keep in mind that the searched topics ebb and flow according to relevancy at any given time, so the trending list can change quickly. With that in mind, Google Trends is still an interesting tool to reference when you’re thinking of your next Triond submission.

Using It Wisely: Selecting a Payment Method

One of the greatest assets of Triond is our global community of content creators. Because of this, we’re happy to offer three different payment methods to suit the needs of our diverse community; PayPal, check, and Western Union. Since each of our payment methods has slightly different requirements, here’s a quick review of the most important details of each method. Please note that no matter which payment method you choose, you must first fill out your first name, last name, city and country in your account details before we can issue any payments.

PayPal

PayPal is our preferred method of payment with our lowest threshold for payout. PayPal is an online payment service that is not affiliated with Triond; we use the service just like you would use it – to send and receive secure payments online. The ease and security of PayPal make it the best choice for Triond users.

In order to use PayPal you’ll need to sign up for an account on their site. If you are located outside of the U.S., check with PayPal to see if you are able receive payments in your country. If your country is not able to receive funds via PayPal, you’ll have to choose a different payment method in order to receive your Triond earnings.

The minimum earnings threshold for payment via PayPal is low, only $0.50 (fifty cents). Once you have accumulated at least $0.50, you will be paid on the corresponding pay date. Make sure that your PayPal email address is listed correctly in your account details; otherwise you won’t get the email confirming payment or the payment itself!

Check

Triond also issues payment by check in US Dollars. If you select to be paid by check, we will mail a paper check to you – look out for the Triond envelope in your mailbox! Depending on your location, the check can take up to 14 business days to arrive. (They don’t call it snail mail for no reason). In order to be paid by check, you’ll need to fill in your complete address including street name and house number, city, state/province, ZIP code, and country.

The minimum earnings threshold for payment via check is $50.00 (fifty dollars). Once you have accumulated at least $50.00, you will be paid on the corresponding pay date. Please note that there is a processing fee of up to $3.00 for payment by check. Ask your local bank to make sure they can deposit a check in US Dollars if your local currency is not dollars.

Western Union

Western Union is the standard way to wire money internationally. If you select Western Union as your payment method, we will wire transfer your earnings to the Western Union office closest to your address.

The minimum earnings threshold for payment via Western Union is $50.00 (fifty dollars). Similar to payment by check, there is also a processing fee of up to $3.00 for payment by Western Union. Once you have accumulated at least $50.00, you will be paid on the corresponding pay date. Make sure you check your email for the MTCN transfer number and other payment details. You’ll need them to pick up your earnings at your local Western Union branch.

That’s a wrap for our January update. Best wishes for the New Year from all of us at Triond! As always, check the Triond blog for regular news, and follow us on Twitter.